The present invention concerns periodic temporal signals the configuration of which over a time period is defined by an arrangement of seed patterns of different types resulting from a recursive construction using successively applied recurrent pattern type composition laws each defined by a specific arrangement of p pattern types possibly identical to each other. Generally speaking, the configuration over a time period of a temporal signal resulting from this kind of recursive construction may be considered as a component "an" of the Nth term Un with m components (a.sub.n, b.sub.n, c.sub.n etc.), one per pattern type, of a recurrent sequence, this nth term being defined at the level of its components (a.sub.n, b.sub.n, c.sub.n etc.) according to the components (a.sub.(n-1), b.sub.(n-1), c.sub.(n-1), etc..) of the preceding term U.sub.n-1 by the recurrent pattern type composition laws and the initial term U.sub.0 of the sequence having for its components (a.sub.0, b.sub.0, c.sub.0, etc.) the seed patterns.
The recursive construction process makes it possible to increase the complexity of the pattern obtained from one iteration to another extremely quickly. It produces after very few iterations a signal pattern having the general appearance of a random signal although it is in fact highly structured and has self-simulating properties independent of the scale factor.
Because of these characteristics the resultant temporal signal finds beneficial applications in varied techniques including vibration testing, transducers and stimulators, fabrication of Cantorian macromolecules by electrosynthesis and, in a general way, quasi-crystals. Temporal signals known by the name fractal signals result from a recursive construction of this kind, but the construction described here is more general.